Bulk well material handling plants include equipment for handling, e.g., storing, transferring, blending, dry materials used in constructing wells, treating wells and subterranean formations, and for other well activities. For example, bulk well material handling plants handle dry cement and additives for cementing casing, dry fracturing fluid components, for fracturing treatments, dehydrated or dry treatment chemicals, and the like. Such plants typically include tanks to store the dry well materials as well as equipment to transport the well materials between the tanks, for example, conveyor belts, screw conveyors, stackers, reclaimers, and other similar equipment. In some situations, dry materials can be pneumatically transported through the bulk well material plant via fluid flow pathways, e.g., air flow pathways. For example, dry well material stored in a first tank in the plant can be transported to a second tank in the plant through conduits and a sequence of valves that connects the two tanks. Multiple such conduits and valves can be implemented throughout the bulk well material plant to connect the tanks and equipment, and to transport dry well materials throughout the plant. Over time, the various manifolds, valves, and other equipment in the bulk well material handling plant can result in physical degradation of the system. Examples include stuck or leaking valves, restricted or plugged manifolds, plugged, torn, or otherwise compromised dust collection filters, and other equipment wear. This can result not only in inefficiencies in the operation of the bulk well material plant but also untimely and costly system failures and incorrectly blended material resulting in job failures.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.